Your Auntie's view of current events on Guam

February 25, 2005

KEN WETMORE'S STORY ON CARMEN FERNANDEZ' CREATIVE JOB FINDING

If you're a senator and not running for re-election and have funds left-over.......give it to a senator who you think is going to get re-elected and tell him to hire you when he wins the election(or so the scenario plays....)

I've cut and pasted parts of Ken's story for your perusal.......read it on KUAM's webpage.......it's more interesting when you read the two senators that seem to be dancing around the facts however......one can't make up one's mind at which actually gave the funds to the lady who didn't do anything the whole time she pretended to be working for the people........send in the clowns......."Former senator Fernandez finds work in 28th Legislature
by Ken Wetmore, KUAM News Thursday, February 24, 2005

Wouldn't it be nice if you were having a hard time finding a job to be able to tell an employer 'If you hire me, I'll give you the money for my salary, plus some extra'? And wouldn't it be even better if the money wasn't even yours? You can decide if that's what one senator from the 27th Guam Legislature did with your money.

$11,903.02 - that's how much money former senator Carmen Fernandez had left in her office budget at the end of her term in the 27th Legislature. And that's how much money Fernandez, who did not run for reelection, transferred to her fellow Democrat colleague, Senator Frank Aguon, Jr. on December 31. As KUAM News has reported in the past, when senators are not reelected they can transfer their leftover funds to another senator. Typically, nothing is put in writing and there is only a gentleman's agreement on how the money is to be spent. Usually, the money is spent to employ staffers of the outgoing senator. On Wednesday, Senator Aguon told KUAM News he wasn't even aware of the transfer from former senator Fernandez until a week or two after it was made He stated, "I did have an opportunity to speak with Senator Fernandez shortly thereafter and there was a request that if in fact these funds were necessary in the future, and if I had not expended it, if I can assist her
in some way, some shape or form, yeah." When asked to clarify precisely what kind of assistance, Aguon said, "Well, in this case, I think it was more in transitional assistance if, in fact, she was not able to acquire gainful employment between the timeframe of January 1 and obviously the first thirty days she may revert back to requesting assistance from my office." Put simply, Fernandez, according to Senator Aguon, was asking for a job after transferring her money to him. And according to the senator, she didnt stop there. "She did request that if, in fact, she was able to acquire employment from another senator, because I had informed her at that time that any employment out of my office was certainly out of the question, only because I've already reached my peak in terms of the personnel that I need,"he recalled. "But I did inform her that if in fact she was able to acquire employment elsewhere I may be able to assist from that perspective." Senator Aguon did say the elsewhere in question was from another islandlawmaker.

When asked that if Fernandez could get employment from another senator, would he transfer the money over to them, Senator Aguon replied, Then I will certainly consider the possibility of extending that financial,those finances to that senator, yes."On January 13 Democrat senator Rory Respicio filed papers in the Legislature s Personnel Office, hiring Fernandez. While the paperwork was filed onJanuary 13, Fernandez's employment with Senator Respicio is listed as beginning on January 3 and expiring on January 31. She held the title of policy advisor, and was paid $1,000 a week. According to the Legislature's Accounting Department, the former senator was paid $5,000 for her employment from January 3 through January 31. So did Senator Aguon transfer Fernandez's near-$12,000 of lapsed funds to Senator Respicio? According to documents at the Legislature, yesterday Senator Aguon transferred $15,000 to Senator Respicio. Yet both senators claim the transfer is unrelated to Fernandez's employment with Respicio;both say the money was to help keep on another of Senator Respicio's staffers, Bill Phillips.

Senator Respicio vehemently denies he had any arrangement with Fernandez,saying, "I don't appreciate that kind of dispersion because I would not be aparty to something like that if, I did not, you do not see the transfer fromSenator Respicio's office outgoing to hire Senator Fernandez," thesecond-term policymaker said sternly. "So, you know, like, I needed to remind the community that there, there are a group of people who could see Senator Fernandez doing no right, so whatever she's done they're going to have these kind of allegations and, did I know that when I decided to become involved with her in the last thirty days, I did but I take my chance and I see value in her."Senator Respicio says it was he who approached Fernandez with the offer of temporary employment, because the two had worked on initiatives, such as the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, right-to-work issues, and raising the minimum wage. Senator Respicio says he felt Fernandez could aid his office in continuing these efforts"

Great story Ken, just goes to show you that you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.....some people sleep all the time.....some wake up....read Ken's story on KUAM's webpage.....In a perfect world....the funds will be repaid.....but then, I'm a dreamer......even in awake times!

C/P SOME FOR YOU FOR ME...NAMES CHANGED TO PROTECT THE GUILTY

"Recently it was the tale of fiscal manipulation by the ex-mayor (Aguon) of Ordot-Chalan Pago and how he managed to waste away his village's budget funds. His claim that it was 'his' budget tells a tale. I contend it is NOT his money, it's taxpayer money and should be used in the interest of his village or the island.

I think the mayors should be stripped of their slush funds and be required to submit requests for services from a central office. DOA most likely. Some agency that can be better monitored as far as the control and use of scarce funds. Now there's the tale of Carmen, who had the good sense to not attempt re-election, being a part of some suspicious financial wheeling-dealing. And has the fast talking Frank Aguon and Rory Respicio trying to mitigate the situation.

Are there any honest politicians on this island besides Klitzkie and
Palacios? It's puzzling that we read about all the services that can't be provided due to shortage of money. Yet we continue to read about the extravagances of some. Money down a black hole...
This must stop. I have the distinct impression that my taxpayer dollars(last year nearly 20K) are just going to waste and paying strap hangers for suspcious 'services'.

Here's what got me 'going' again and I end this with a few questions. Is anybody in charge on this island? Is it possible that such suspicious activity can be investigated and a stop put to it? And can't the monies be recovered and returned to the General Fund?"

Auntie's comments of course is that......we sit idly by....yawning, doing nothing.....tht banditos and banditas will get away with it because we let them! When we get tired of the games, the games will stop......and not a minute more....unless of course, the AG puts a stop to it.....and that'll have to wait until he finds a new office which we didn't bother to help him save.......oh well!

OOPS! YOU LOSE!

There are some battles within the local government agencies that we neither win nor lose....we can sit idly by, yawning and watching flies as they buzz by the Pyramids of Ordot...we're good at that, in fact, we've become experts at sitting idly by, we've become so expert at it that we've actually allowed our elected attorney general to be evicted from his office.

We've not taken sides. Not a one of us has taken the side of the either the building that's doing the evicting because the agency hasn't paid the rent and that it wants to bring back its member flock and that it's a good thing therefore it's okay to evict the AG...not one of us has taken the side of the AG and fought his fight with the legislature to ask where the money's going to come from to pay for the move, the consequences that will come from the move the disruption et cetera...no one from day one has done anything except watch the drama unfold on t.v. and or on the radio talk shows.....we've become reality show addicts and we're numb and we've lost touch with what's real and what comes with consequences and that shows up in our lives and one only has to look around at the various cancers that are now showing its ugly heads starting with our educational system you can start the list with Southern High School...our water system, our hospitals, our retirement fund, our refund....oh, get me off my soap box, you already know the litany of what we yawn at....get a grip! The AG's office deserved better......not because the AG is Doug Moylan but because it is the AG's office and will be long after Doug's no longer the AG! Comprende!

February 24, 2005

BUT.....BUT.....THAT SPEECH.....IT RESTORED HOPE....IT SAID THERE WAS MONEY!

I can't believe today's PDN...it reports that the community is bracing for a cash shortfall.....does this mean that the reporter Steve Limtiaco was under some rock last week while the governor was giving his feel good speech? Gosh, remember when he said that things were rosy and good and that the economy was good and that hope was restored?

The economy certainly must've been really looking up since the front office staff got some really good raises and most every body at the police station(I'm not saying that they don't deserve it!!!)got raises(recently more received promotions) and we're spending all $ort$ of money on learning how to be $u$$e$$ful leader$ at hotel$ $eminar$ and taking all $orts of off-i$land junket$....how come it i$ that we're out of money and here it is we're only at the middle part of February? Under normal circumstances, we're usually crying for money(and believe me, it's usual!!!) around the end of May or mid-June.......could it be that we've spent all the money early HOPING for a wind fall(is that one word or two?)......should we have another state of the territory address with a more accurate prediction of where we are fiscally?

I have relatives that can't retire from DOE and the hospital because the money they paid in for their retirement was stolen from them.....it ain't there for them to retire with....people call talk show hosts daily crying over refunds that they've been waiting for that they might've gotten paid if they had gone to Tony Sanchez for instead of Rev-n-Tax....oh and the list goes on......."There is a castle on a cloud,I like to go there in my sleep,Aren't any floors for me to sweep,Not in my castle on a cloud."We all love a fantasy.....some of us live the dream then wake up and go to work........some of us never wake up!

February 23, 2005

ANOTHER NEEDLESS DEATH ON GUAM'S ROAD

I've lost count, and it seems KUAM might have as well since they didn't list the number of deaths lost on Guam's highways with their report on their webpage, the latest one happening yesterday morning at Pago Bay......believe me when I say that the poor old man driving the pick-up didn't have a prayer after that SUV driven by the 18-yr-old teen slammed onto him.

I hate to sound like an old hag but it sure seems like all of a sudden we're all in a hurry to get somewhere, we're speeding and we're reckless. Would things 'slow' down a bit if we had more cops on the roads? Alas! We don't have the funds, what a joke question that is! Now that there's a chance that the AG's going to be out of an office, there may be more recklessness on our roads and nothing will happen because there won't be anything done for them until the agency is 'settled' somewhere....sometime...someday(aren't these lyrics to a song?)......in the meantime, you take your life into your hands when you get behind the wheel.....it's like playing Russian Roulette....

GOVGUAM MENTALITY....BUY SHOES THEN LEARN HOW TO WALK!

Or....so it seems! Mindy Fothergill's story (the continuing one at Mental Health and Substance Abuse) on the recent purchase of the executive home in Tamuning for the healing of all that ails our children's mental health.

"The Guam Legal Services director believes the home is worthless because programs have not been established to assist the very kids it was designed to help." You see, we bought the house, we're spending your buck$(a lot of it!!!-hmmmm, wonder whose pocket$ we've ju$t lined) but don't have a clue, let alone the doctors or the staff to do the job.....bought the shoes before we learned the crawl!

What's more(arrogant, I'd say!!) when KUAM tried to visit the home(yours, mine and theirs) they were refused entry.....and yes, the director was bye-bye.....darn, another junket....where do they get those funds and I thought we were in a financial bind.....never know who to believe, huh?